


Like a lightning bolt of magic

by Miizurichan



Category: Magi - Fandom, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Betrayal, Drama, Family, Love, M/M, Magic, Variation of Mpreg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-07-17 23:39:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7290739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miizurichan/pseuds/Miizurichan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lives are turned upside down as the King of Sindria and his lover, the former assassin Ja'far expect a child, who's existence was made possible through a magical mistake that brought happiness to many.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Lightning strike

**Author's Note:**

> I had an idea, i ran with it.   
> Enjoy~

What could, and should have been a wonderful day in Sindria, started explosively terrible for a certain young man. Before the sun had risen above the horizons, the former assassin had stumbled out of the comfortable bed in his king's chambers and right to the toilet. There he had stayed for hours, 

When he had finally emptied his seemingly upset stomach, he had dressed up as well as he could. He was no stranger to ignoring pain, but this pain was so different from other pains he had ever had. Briefly, he wondered if it was connected to the accident two weeks prior, but pushed it from his mind the second it came. 

Deciding he looked presentable enough, he slowly made his way down to his office. And slowly it went, but he couldn't possibly push himself without doubling over or passing out on the spot. The young advisor would rather not face that shame and humuliation, so he kept a slow and steady pace down the halls and stairs until he found the right door. 

"Ja'far!!" 

A worried call of his name from countless mouths was the first thing he heard the moment the doors were open enough for him to step through them. He had figured they would be worried, seeing as he was never late, but their expressions showed more than worry. As he tried to make his way toward his desk, Pipirika appeared in front of him with a frown. 

"You're in no state to be working today." Her tone held no room for discussion, Ja'far knew it would be useless, but he still gave it a try. A try that was shot down immediately, but Ja'far absolutely did not want to spend an entire day in bed. For him, that was out of the question. 

Heaving a sigh, Pipirika bent down and picked up Ja'far as if he weighed nothing. After making sure the movement didn't cause her king's right hand any more distress, she marched with long, firm strides to the place she knew she would find help. 

Rounding the colourful yard, Pipirika kicked lightly at the door as her hands were quite occupied. "Yamraiha? I've got a problem I need you to help me with!" She didn't have to wait for long, but every second she had to wait, the more anxious she got on behalf of Ja'far. 

After a call of okay, some yelping and the sound of something falling, the door opened wide and Yamraiha's smiling face came into view. Her expression, however, was quick to turn to shock when she noticed what Pipirika's problem was. 

"O-oh, that's a first. Um, do come in." Moving swiftly aside to let them in, Yamraiha could feel suspicions bubbling in her brain. "Just put him down there." As she pointed to a long chair, she tried to forget her suspicions, but it proved hard. Picking up her staff, she moved over to the bench were Ja'far lay, clearly in pain. 

Drawing a breath, Yamraiha's expression turned from one of worry, to one of seriousness. "Okay. Ja'far, what type of pain are you having?" As Ja'far started explaining, all of Yamraiha's attention was on him. When she asked where the pain was located, Ja'far had put a hand on his lower abdomen, something that had roused Yamraiha's bubbling suspicions even more. 

After Ja'far had finished explaining to the best of his ability, Yamraiha was almost certain. However, she didn't want to jump to conclusions about anything what so ever. Despite that, she couldn't help herself to ask one more question before checking Ja'far over with her magic. 

She didn't particularly wish to ask this, as it was rather personal, but the sooner she got it over with, the better it would be for everyone. "Ja'far... after the incident two weeks ago, did you, um, have sex with Sinbad?" Yamraiha could see the question made Ja'far queasy, yet he heaved a sigh and got ready to answer. 

Turning his head away from Yamraiha, Ja'far came clean, that yes, he and Sinbad had gotten intimate that evening. He wasn't sure why he felt ashamed, but just being reminded of the incident brought back the suspicion he had gotten earlier that morning. "Yamraiha, is it connected? This... pain, the incident and my being intimate with Sin." Ja'far would be lying if he said he wasn't curious yet terrified at the same time. Although he was no master at it, he knew a lot of things involving magic could make the most impossible things happen. 

Biting her lip slightly at the question, Yamraiha put on her serious face again. "It can be, but I'll have to check properly. Um, Pipirika, could you?" Yamraiha turned her head to look at the tall woman with an apologetic look, hoping she would understand. 

 

And she did. With a small smile and a bow, Pipirika turned on her heels and walked out with the only sound after her being the soft thud of the hitting the frame. 

With that over, Yamraiha looked back at Ja'far. "I'll need to undress you." Although she sounded confident in herself and serious, Yamraiha was almost bursting with nervousness as Ja'far gave her a small nod, an okay to her needing to undress him. While she was helping him undress, she felt very thankful Ja'far wasn't wearing his entire usual getup, as that required longer time to remove. Still, she remained careful and gentle as they proceeded. 

When Ja'far lay almost completely bare in the long chair, Yamraiha could still not see any visible problems. There were no visible bruises or other miscolourings anywhere. Nothing but old scars covered Ja'far's fair skin, but that was nothing out of the ordinary. This discovery would mean there was only one option left for Yamraiha to do - namely healer magic for detecting abnormalities in the one it was used on. If there was something going on, Yamraiha would find it. 

However, this wasn't something she did often, nor had done many times, but there was no time to waste and after meeting Sinbad, she had learned to become more confident in her abilities. Yamraiha also knew that Ja'far trusted her, so her nervousness was soothed a bit by that.

Getting her staff once again, Yamraiha held it horizontally over Ja’far and closed her eyes. “Just lay still, Ja’far, this will be over in a moment.” She didn’t speak any more after that. As she focused on the formulas needed for the spell and information flooded her mind, almost all registration of the outside world was shut out. She couldn’t even hear herself breathe or hear her own heart beating steadily within her chest.

Reaching Ja’far’s waist, she still couldn’t find any abnormalities. Apart from old healed wounds, there was nothing wrong with Ja’far as of yet. Yamraiha almost didn’t want to move further down, in fear of what could be there, in fear of her suspicions being confirmed, but she couldn’t avoid doing it. She couldn’t leave Ja’far to pain without getting an answer to why he was in pain. 

After a brief pause, Yamraiha moved her staff slowly over the area of Ja’far’s abdomen. As though she had been burned, Yamraiha recoiled from Ja’far’s body and dropped her staff to the floor. With the image still fresh in her memory, she didn’t hear the clunk from the staff that startled Ja’far into a partially sitting position. 

“Yamraiha?” 

The hesitant call of her name brought her out of her trance, but something had turned Ja’far’s expression to one of worry and almost horror. Yamraiha didn’t have time to think if it mirrored hers, all she could do was blurt out two words; “You’re pregnant.”

For what seemed like an eternity, it was silent. The heavy, shocked silence felt crushing on them both. The long chair creaked lightly as Ja’far looked at Yamraiha. The silence didn’t lift, even as Ja’far’s expression turned from horror and to badly concealed rage. 

Yamraiha wasn’t scared, she had never been truly scared of Ja’far, but his current expression as he stood up on shaky legs, set off every alarm in her instincts. Yet, she didn’t move. Even as Ja’far took an unsteady step toward her, she didn’t move. Then, he spoke. “Take it out. Now.” When Yamraiha didn’t react, Ja’far sank to the floor and repeated his words, this time with a sadder, more desperate tone. 

Yamraiha could only stare at Ja’far, sitting on the floor, like his world was falling apart. “You want me to… terminate your pregnancy?” She didn’t know what her expression looked like at the time, but she could hear her voice, sounding almost brittle. 

“Yes! No! I don’t know, Yamraiha! I don’t know.” After having raised his voice, Ja’far bit his lip, shook his head and looked down at his still flat stomach. “I’m a man, Yamraiha, even if some form of magic made this possible, there’s no way I would be able to carry to term, nor would I wish to. I have work, loads of it, and someone has to take care of Sin, too.” 

Ja’far continued to mumble about why he couldn’t continue the pregnancy as Yamraiha moved over to one of her books and hurried to flip through it. When she found the right page, she turned to Ja’far and interrupted him mid-sentence. “There is a way.” When he stopped mumbling and looked surprised at her, she continued. “There is a way I can remove the embryo from your body, while still letting it develop to term. You won’t change at all, if you do this, only that you will need to watch what you eat and how much you eat, because the embryo and later fetus will be connected to your body.” 

It wasn’t that Yamraiha wanted to pressure Ja’far to keep the embryo and let it develop, it really wasn’t. But she saw it in his eyes, that if things had been different, Ja’far would have wanted this, a child with Sinbad. What she could do, was merely offer a middle way.

Without batting an eye, Ja’far looked up at her. “That’s possible? That this… baby could make it, without it having to be within me? But who would carry it? If you think I’ll let-” Interrupting Ja’far once again, Yamraiha smiled softly. “No one would carry it, but I would have to protect it, to make sure the spell sticks properly. But, this won’t be a normal pregnancy, you should have been about two weeks along, but you’re closer to six weeks along.” 

Ja’far slowly got back up in the long chair as he let the words from Yamraiha sink in. “So, it’ growing faster than the average baby.” Getting a nod from Yamraiha, he nodded as well before laying down properly. “Do it. I don’t want to let go of this baby.” 

Yamraiha didn’t need more than that. Taking a deep breath, she picked up her staff from the floor and walked over to Ja’far. They could have talked about the risks of the spell, but they didn’t. Instead, Yamraiha only asked one last time if it was okay, then she started. 

Completing the procedure of the spell wasn’t as difficult as she imagined, but when she was done, the full extent of her task started to sink in. The early developed embryo had managed fine through the spell, with the linings of the protective layers from it pulsing weak white around it. 

Shifting her gaze a bit, she saw that Ja’far was as transfixed on the bundle as she was. “This is a massive responsibility.” Her tone was careful, trying, but Ja’far only shook his head lightly and gave a small smile at her. “I know, and I know I have to tell Sin, but not now. When he returns, I’ll tell.” He paused a bit to watch what would become a child, then he looked back at her. “Thank you, Yamraiha, really. But… at the same time I must apologize for putting this on you.” 

Yamraiha knew he was sorry, and while it was a big responsibility for her to make sure everything went okay until it was time for the birth, she didn’t see it as a burden, and she told Ja’far so. “If anything,” she said, “I’m happy you even have this chance.” And she was, she truly was, even if it was her mistake that had set off this chain of reaction in the first place. 

“I would stay, if I could, but work is waiting.” Ja’far was almost finished dressing when Yamraiha looked at him again. “Of course. This little one will be just fine here.” She smiled, happy that Ja’far seemed a lot better now. 

They said their goodbyes, but before Ja’far had managed to leave, Yamraiha had called out for him, suddenly remembering something. As he turned back to look confused at her, she gestured to the oval ball floating beside her with a smile. “You should think of a name. It’ll be good to have one by the time it’s born.” 

That day was now almost three months in the past, and while many things had remained the same, some things had changed. Ja’far had noticed it in Sinbad’s behaviour lately. The closer they got to their child being born, the more restless he seemed to become. He was sure his ‘girls’ had also noticed. He seemed to drink less, and even when he did drink, he would often zone out and just stare into the air. It was unusual, and something none of them were used to yet. 

Tonight was one of those nights. Sinbad, Hinahoho and Spartos had just returned from a short trip, so naturally a feast was planned, but their loving king didn’t look to be enjoying himself. 

Ja’far was well aware of why, he had been around Sinbad too long to not see it. He also knew that counted for Hinahoho. They both knew Sinbad was scared – not that he was likely to admit it. Being a father was not like anything he had ever done before. Even if he had taken care of children in the past, having your own child was vastly different. 

Bringing a child into this world had never been a part of Sinbad’s great plans, but Ja’far couldn’t forget the look in his eyes when he and Yamraiha showed Sinbad their rapidly growing child. 

The way he was clearly shocked, maybe a bit angry, before he was in complete awe, was amazing to witness. After that, Sinbad didn’t didn’t ditch work to drink, bask in the sun, sleep or chase ladies. All he did when he found the time, was to watch their child grow. Moreover, when he couldn’t do just that, Ja’far had noticed Sinbad would be more agitated than usual. 

Shaking his head lightly, Ja’far looked to his side where Sinbad sat. The king of Sindria was clearly distracted yet again. “Sin?” Ja’far spoke quietly, but loud enough for Sinbad to turn his head in his direction. “You don’t seem to be enjoying yourself. Do you want to visit him again?” The expression on Sinbad’s face spoke volumes.

With a small smile, Ja’far and Sinbad stood up, put out a small excuse to the others, and excused themselves from the feast. 

It was true that Sinbad had been very easily distracted since he had gotten the news of their baby, but he wasn’t the only one. After they had gotten the sex of their baby confirmed to be a healthy boy, they had both been a bit out of it. 

The distractions seemed to grow almost every day too. According to Yamraiha, the speed of their unborn son’s growth had sped up yet again, which meant by the next week, they could expect to have a newborn baby at any time. 

It was shocking to them that magic could do that, which was all the more reason why it was important to them to have these moments. Although it didn’t really make a difference, it felt soothing for them to just sit in each other’s company and watch their son. 

\-----------------

Four days later, a letter came to Sinbad. A letter obligating him to attend yet another conference of sorts. The letter had enraged Sinbad, for many reasons, but after arrangements had been made, and one last visit to his unborn son had been made, he was ready to leave. 

Knowing he was not likely to make it back to Sindria in time for their son’s birth, he and Ja’far had spent the previous evening discussing names of any and all sort until they found one they both liked. Although the other generals knew just about everything, they had agreed not to tell anyone but Yamraiha the name of their coming son. The name, as well as the meaning of it, was supposed to be a surprise. 

After he had boarded the ship along with Hinahoho and Spartos, Sinbad stood watching those who had come to see him off – but his gaze lingered on Ja’far. At least until Ja’far had noticed it and bowed lightly to him as he so often did. He didn’t particularly wish to leave, but he had no other choice in the matter. At least watching Ja’far until he was out of sight made it a tiny bit easier. 

When the ship was entirely out of sight from where they stood, Ja’far and the others headed back to the palace atop the hill. There was still work to be done, and even if the King was no longer present, someone had to do it. Besides, they were all used to having much to do whether the king was around or not. 

Despite the peculiar situation Ja’far found himself in, he found no trouble with sitting down behind his desk as if it was any normal day. If anything, it was a welcome distraction for him. Before long, he was working at the same pace he normally used and just about forgot about his surroundings. 

So it went for a few more days. Work moral was better than ever, everything went absolutely smoothly. The thought of things running too smoothly had struck Ja’far plenty of times, but he pushed it away. The feeling of going to bed in the evening, knowing that day’s work was finished was amazing. 

The morning on a particular Friday felt entirely normal for Ja’far as he headed down to work after a quick but good breakfast. And normal it was, until the clock struck noon. 

While Ja’far was sitting quietly at his desk, looking through papers after papers, Pipirika came busting through the main doors with her desination being Ja’far’s desk. 

Before he could get a single reaction out of his body, Pipirika had all but lifted him out of his chair, looked him dead in the eye and put him down in front of herself. “The baby is coming.” 

At first, the words barely registered in Ja’far’s mind, though he supposed he did get it the first time. Asking Pipirika to repeat herself, she had nearly yelled aloud that the baby was coming, but before she had even finished her sentence, Ja’far was half-way out the door. 

By the time he got down to Yamraiha’s place, Ja’far had lost count of how many people he had bumped into on his way. Not that it bore much significance to Ja’far. All he cared about was getting to his son, and he couldn’t get there fast enough. 

Before Ja’far could even stop to open the doors, they opened just enough for Ja’far to be dragged in, then the doors were shut again. Sitting on a blanket on the floor was Yamraiha with his coming son in her arms, her hands making soft pushes to mimic the pushing that would happen inside the body at labor. 

Their eyes met for a moment and although Ja’far felt struck by nervousness, he couldn’t just watch. His steps were quick as he walked to join Yamraiha on the floor. It wasn’t a pretty sight that met him, but he didn’t care. His magical baby was finally coming, and he was going to help in every way he could until he could hold him safely in his arms. 

While he and Yamraiha focused on the slowly opening magical lump that contained Ja’far’s son, Pisti ran around finding soft cloths and heated up water to the perfect temperature. All three of them had their things to do, and all three of them were nervous. It wasn’t everyday business to have a baby – least of all a magical one. 

Almost two and a half hours later, Ja’far reached forward with a towel covering his arms and welcomed the weight of his son who started screaming his lungs out within seconds. Smiling widely, Pisti ran off to fetch a bottle with goat milk while Ja’far and Yamraiha made work of cleaning the newborn baby boy up as good as they could. 

Within minutes, Ja’far sat with his son in his arms, rocking slightly while feeding him. Everyone was quiet, just observing this moment of pure magic. But it didn’t last long. Pisti moved a bit closer to Ja’far, taking her first proper peek at the baby. Then, she looked up at Ja’far with a smile. “Did you pick a name?”

Tearing his gaze from his newborn son for the first time since laying eyes on him, Ja’far gave both her and Yamraiha a warm smile. “Yes. Sinbad and I decided on Baraq.” Noticing his son – Baraq – had emptied his bottle, he put it down and looked properly at him once again. “He’s got Sinbad’s eyes… maybe a bit lighter, and his hair too. He’s perfect.” 

Ja’far wasn’t sure if he was talking more to himself or to them, but it didn’t matter to any of them. Watching Ja’far with Baraq was almost as magical as Baraq’s existence in itself. The happy, satisfied air that filled the room, couldn’t be replaced with any other feeling in the world.


	2. Home (1/2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've never minded being a prince. The thought never bugged me before, but now I'm starting to doubt. Just what does pops want from me?   
> P.S .. distractions are dangerous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now on, the chapters will be in first person from Baraq's view. this is the first part of two parts where he is still home in Sindria. I suppose you can think that the main idea I have for this, happens in chapter four when counting the prologue.   
> Enjoy!  
> dad = Ja'far   
> pops = Sinbad

It wasn't that I minded being a prince. I had no problem with that. For me, it meant I didn't have much to worry about in terms of clothes, shelter and food. Most of us here in Sindria didn't have to worry about that, so I never thought too highly of it. At least not in the beginning.   
My existence is a mystery to everyone here – even to my own parents. I know how I was born. I have lost count of how many times I've been called a magical baby. But no one knows why Yam's spell made it that way. Had I been born to normal parents, I wouldn't have had to deal with the odd looks from visitors. I love my parents, to a certain degree, as most kids do, but it's still uncomfortable to be stared at like you have two heads. 

To make matters worse, pops, the o great king of this damn island, Sinbad, pushes me under a rug every time visitors come. Even when there are kids around my age there, I'm barely allowed to show myself. Who the heck has a kid, loves them when they're a toddler, and starts trying to control them the moment they can have independent thoughts? 

The feeling of a hard, cold sword against my shoulder ripped me back to reality. Damnit. I shouldn't have gotten distracted. Sword training with Sharrkan was the worst place to get distracted. I was going to apologize, but the words were lost when a hand started to ruffle my hair.   
"You got a lot on your mind today, kiddo."   
"I'm not a child." I pushed his hand off my head and scowled.   
"Hey, you've barely been alive for a year. It's a miracle that you even look like you've hit puberty." He smiled, but I kept my scowl. I hated being reminded of my age. "Come on, just one more round, then I'll let ya sit and think, hm?" his smile was gentle, but I knew he meant business when he took his usual stance.   
I was beat by the time we finished the round. My stamina was good, but Sharrkan was a beast. He hardly looked like he had broken a sweat. I was getting better myself though. Besides, with Sharrkan, the focus wasn't stamina training. It was pure technique. I had my stamina training with Masrur and if Sharrkan was the worst place to get distracted, then I honestly wouldn't know how to describe how dangerous it was to get distracted with Masrur. He broke Sharrkan's nose once. An accident, of course, because Sharrkan had snuck up on him and Masrur was in the middle of a punch when he turned around so Sharrkan more or less collided with his fist. I'm thankful for Masrur being a fanalis, I'm not all that graceful yet, so he hears me easily. Maybe that was why they both insisted on keeping me occupied with training? 

Honestly, they were more like parents to me than my own parents. Dad is so busy with work he hardly has time to see me anymore. Pops is just so busy that when he gets back from overseas, all he wants is dad and girls. Even when I was little, it was usually Pipirika or Yam who put me to bed and tucked me in. One day, I will talk to them about it. 

*

A few weeks ago we got new guests, or habitants? Whichever, really, but it doesn't look like they're going anywhere soon. It doesn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Alibaba is hilarious, especially when Aladdin teases him. It kind of reminds me of watching Yam and Sharrkan. The girl though… apparently she's a pureblood fanalis, like Masrur. I mean, I knew she was a fanalis the moment I saw her, but another pureblood… that's kind of surprising, right? Either way. She's really pretty, and strong. 

The day they came, I had been training with Sharrkan. I wouldn't say I was getting the upper hand, but I was getting better, much better. I didn't waste as much time and movement as I did previously. It felt good, to finally be more on par with him. Thinking back on it, I shouldn't have jinxed it. We both noticed pops bringing back people we hadn't seen before. It was just a second of distraction, but it was enough for us to slip. I barely had time to duck, but it was futile. The sword grazed my nose, breaking the skin and everything. My hands flew up to my face, but it felt too painful to touch, so I just kept them over the area.   
Adrenaline was surging through my veins, but that didn't stop the pain. I kept the stinging tears back until Sharrkan tore a piece of cloth from my sleeve and swatted my hands away to press it on the wounds. Tears exploded from my eyes at the pain. I couldn't stop them no matter how hard I tried. I don't think I've ever seen him look so serious before. 

He kept the cloth pressed over my nose while dragging me off to the side – probably to Yam. My eyes were filled with tears; I could barely see anything. But I could feel. The pounding in my nose never left, but the stinging, burning pain was almost gone by the time Sharrkan kicked the door to Yam's place open – effectively startling her. 

The rest was like a whirl. With both of them talking in each other's mouths, I couldn't pay attention to what they were saying. I could hear something about bloodloss, spells and scarring. I had no idea about their context. I didn't understand the context of anything until Yam put her hand over Sharrkan's mouth. "Just look at him, Sharrkan. I tell you, Baraq is magical. The blood flow likely stopped before you even got here, and under that blood, there might very well just be a scar."   
Sharrkan swatted her hand away, clearly not buying it. "How can you be so sure? What if it falls off?" His hand gestured to me – or my nose.   
"That's why I told you to look at him. Does that look like a nose ready to fall off to you?" 

Both their heads turned my way. Sharrkan stepped closer and looked at my nose. "What the hell."   
"Now you get it." She sighed, but I couldn't see her expression with Sharrkan's head in the way. When he moved away with a thoughtful expression, Yam came closer. "How are you feeling, Baraq?" She smiled the gentle smile I could remember her wearing when I was young.   
I had to admit I was a little lightheaded, and told her so. "Otherwise I feel fine, though I want a bath. It's drying up on my face..." I gave her a weak smile.  
"Of course. Why don't you let Sharrkan take you there, hm? Since it's his fault." I didn't need to look at her to know she was glaring at Sharrkan. The change in her voice said it all. 

I didn't hesitate to lean against Sharrkan when he came up beside me and curled an arm around my waist to keep me standing properly. Standing still was okay, but as we were walking, I realized I could never have made it to my quarters without collapsing. 

*

Well, it was no wonder Sharrkan reacted that way, I thought as I stood in front of the mirror. Most of my face was covered in dried blood, as was my neck. The blood had dripped pretty far. My clothes were absolutely ruined. Sighing, I began to undress, folding each layer of clothes the best I could for the maids. I stepped closer to the mirror, but it didn't give much away, other than that my tattoos mingled in completely.   
Chuckling to myself, I stepped over to the bath and slipped in. as the heated water soothed the tension in my body, I turned my head to smile gently at the maids. I thanked them and told them I would be fine on my own. The older one seemed worried while the younger just grabbed my clothes, flushed red and ran out. Before leaving as well, the older one promised to bring me a set of new clothes. "I'll leave them on your bed, my prince." The only time it felt odd to be a prince, was when the maids referred to me by the title and not my name. 

The blood took a while to clean off. It didn't seem to want to come off properly. When it at last did, I turned over and looked at the mirror. It was still pink, but it looked weeks old – already. I reached up to touch the edge of it gently. It didn't hurt at all. I pondered over this for a bit. I healed fast, even with bigger injuries like this. Though, it felt like this would not heal up as nicely as the others. I had gotten countless scratches and bruises in the past, but within the hour, they were gone. Not even a scar was left. For now, I thought, it would be safe to assume I would be getting my first scar.   
"-rince?"   
Rinse?   
"My prince? Are you alright?"   
I tore my gaze from the mirror and to the young maid under the arch separating my sleeping quarter and my bathing quarter. It was the same one as before. Clearing my throat slightly, I sat more upright.   
"Yes?"   
"Um, The King requests your presence at supper." 

Oh… so now I suddenly existed, I thought somewhat bitterly to myself. I didn't let it show on my face. Smiling at the maid, I thanked her for her notice and climbed out of the tub. The cold air gave me goosebumps, so I hurried to dry my body and my hair.   
She stood waiting by the door as I dressed. I could tell she was embarrassed by how she tried to hide her face with her sleeves. When she heard my footsteps approach, she opened the door. She remained ahead of me the entire way to the dining hall. I wondered if I had done something to upset, but when I saw her beet red face as she opened one of the large doors, I saw that was far from the case. She was shy. It was cute. 

I thanked her again, this time making sure to give her proper eye contact and a small smile. Although her face got even redder – if that was even possible – she smiled as well. Good.   
My feet were barely inside the dining hall when I heard a chair scrape against the floor and the fast patting of feet come toward me. "Baraq!"   
Oh here it comes.  
"Are you alright?" I blinked hard, twice. What the heck? It felt weird to have dad speak to me in such a matter again. I hadn't heard that tone for a good while. It made my stomach churn painfully.   
"I'm fine, dad." I smiled carefully and removed his hands from my face before they reached my scar. He didn't look like he believed me. Before he could say anything else, someone cleared their throat. It was pops.   
"Ja'far, don't you think it's time to introduce him now?" It must have been my imagination, but it didn't sound like a full sentence. There was something he didn't say. I should have known.   
"Baraq, meet Aladdin, Alibaba and Morgiana. You three, meet our son, Baraq." I tried to keep a friendly expression up as I was led closer to them, but it was difficult when the blond – Alibaba – almost choked on his drink after hearing dad say 'our son'.   
I swallowed the bitterness in my voice as I reached out a hand and shook theirs, one by one, followed by a standard 'nice to meet you'. I felt like I could understand Masrur a bit more then. Being stared at really wasn't my thing. 

Throughout the supper, I tried to keep busy with eating, though it wasn't easy. With three pairs of eyes on you, it's kind of hard to focus on eating without feeling self conscious. Luckily for me, pops seemed more interested in talking business with them. After a while, their gazes left me and I could eat in peace.   
It wasn't that I hated attention. If anyone asked, I would gladly explain what I knew about myself. Then again, I didn't particularly like attention either. I liked having a certain amount of space, without having to use my borg. However, in this situation, there was nothing I could do.

My borg was shimmering around me, blocking the person in front of me from coming any closer. My heart was hammering against my ribcage. Why was this happening? Had I done something? Both dad and pops were sitting completely still. The only one who looked as shocked as I probably did, was Alibaba.   
"Hm. He really is magical." The boy smiled and stepped away from me. Did he really not see anything wrong with what he just did? I could feel the anger start to bubble in the pit of my stomach. This was ridiculous. Not to mention humiliating. 

"Baraq, you can calm down now." I twisted out of the grip that threatened to lock around my arms. I hadn't even heard any chairs move, but I knew that voice anywhere. Pops didn't try to grab me again – not physically anyway. 

I knew I couldn't trust my voice. Anger was seeping out into my veins, slowly spreading through my entire body. The air felt suffocating. The tone of his voice. It was too calm, like he had planned this. It didn't matter to me that I had no real evidence. I had to get out of there. 

I walked as fast as I could, aimlessly for a while, then I turned and headed for the forest. The setting sun provided enough light for me to see where I was going, yet I barely avoided colliding with a tree. I sunk down against it. All my energy was gone. I closed my eyes. 

It was pitch black when I opened my eyes again. I assumed I had dozed off for a bit, but had no idea how long. It could have been hours for all I knew. I blinked, realizing I didn't know where I was. Looking around myself in this darkness would be futile, so I didn't even bother attempting. The low squeaks from insects and the gentle breeze that rustled through the trees seemed soothing. Before I knew it, I had closed my eyes again.

**Author's Note:**

> As this is going to be a long multichaptered fic series, the summary will be updated although I added most of the ships and their respective characters that will appear. 
> 
> //mean comments will be deleted//


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